Fati Torquent: A Twist in Fate
by SetsunaNoroi
Summary: Ardyn planned for Insomnia to fall, to watch it burn and see to Noctis as the Chosen King, but there's been a change of plans. Finding a curiosity in the Citadel in Iris Amicitia, he arranges the invasion to be put off, and Noctis marries Luna. Only, as much as he likes her, he can't love her, wishing to stay with Prompto, and Luna finds Nyx. Courtly love will get very dangerous


Ah, the rare pair of Final Fantasy XV to end all rare pairs. I think I've seen this couple done by two other people online before, but it kind of holds a special little place in my heart. I blame Square Enix for creating beautifully tragic villains who deserved way better than what they got. Ardyn deserves the right to punch some of those Astrals in the face repeatedly, especially Bahamut. I think the novel might satisfy those urges, but in the meantime I decided to write this.

Note, despite this being a rare pair, I do plan to do it in a hopefully believable manner, and while it is a major thread in the plot, it is not the only one. Expect Machiavellian politics, court intrigue, an awkward arranged marriage, tested loyalties, courtly love and all the other fun stuff that comes from enemy nations scheming against each other in secret.

Chapter 1: Left Turn, Wrong Turn

The city of Insomnia was, if Ardyn was to be perfectly frank, both impressive and utterly pathetic in different ways. A paradox in so many examples, he had to wonder if anyone else was even aware of it. Perhaps he was the only one who could see it, gifted and cursed to the long sight and memories of his immortality so bestowed upon him by the fickle gods that only he was aware of how little time seemed to allow anything to change in this city. Over two decades since he'd last been here but everything much remained the same. Similar streets, old signs, everything in order and nothing out of place. He was even sure what he'd broken apart the last time he'd been here, under disguise and attacking with Ifrit in his failed attempt to put an end to the Line of Kings had long since been repaired to its former status as if he'd never touched it at all.

It was as unchanging as him, and it left a bitter taste in his mouth to know what his brother had worked so hard to build had continued to endure in such splendor, the citizens not even aware of what treachery bought their peace and happiness.

On the other hand, he had to admit that it was rather a marvel of a jewel, every bit as pretty as it was rotten and festering. It made sense, in some base way of pride, to not want to change something that looked and worked so perfectly. All the reports given to him over his time with the Empire about Insomnia, the long years of peace it had, was certainly a testament to the powers of defense it possessed. Statues where everywhere that he knew could spring to life and take action if needed, strong sentinels and intense magic gifted from the Astrals and Crystal to keep evil at bay. It was certainly worthy of being an unchanged monument to the power of the family chosen by the gods themselves.

He wanted to see it burn, yet also get a painting of it and hang it up on his wall.

It was an endless source of masochistic pleasure to him to know the man he used to be would have balked at such thoughts, but he'd long since gotten past the point of trying to be a good man. It was a pointless and painful venture. Better to act out the role he was given. He too was chosen by the gods, and though his gifts were not nearly as pretty, they were certainly more powerful. Enough threads in the tapestry pulled away, frayed and broken, and this city and the whole legacy behind it would fall apart to dust. He'd seen the Line of Kings dead and finally be allowed to move on.

It brought a chuckle to his lips as he idled in his convertible, waiting on the guard who'd checked his ID at the checkpoint of the gate of the city. The Wall was good at holding back large invasive forces, but the Crownsguard was used to keep the small threats at bay, spies, criminals and the like. He supposed what he actually was would have been much more shocking, had the man known. Still, the name Ardyn Izunia would be enough to make anyone who even knew a fraction about him to pause for a double check. He merely smiled at the guard as he stared at him in absolute shock.

"If you don't mind, I would like to get in," he said in the most polite tone he could muster. "You see, I have the utmost important business with your king, if I could be permitted to see him?"

"I… I have to call this in," the guard replied, grabbing his radio quickly.

"Oh, by all means, take your time. Believe me, I can wait," he assured him as he relaxed in his seat and hummed to himself. The show about to unfold would be spectacular. There was no sense to rush it after all.

#-#

The halls of the Citadel felt uncommonly cold today, it caused Iris to put down the bento box she was holding to rub her hands over her skirt. It felt off to her, despite the fact it was in the middle of summer, a dreary air seemed to hang over the entire palace. She had to wonder if perhaps the cooling system was broken or something, cranked too high to beat the heat outside. Maybe it was something else though. The whole place felt empty to her, only a few people around, mostly guards at their station. She knew people were here, all stuffed away into offices and meeting halls. There had been several battles this month and it had left just about every official in the city busy, including her father.

He hadn't been by for lunch, and it was her turn to bring him the food. Gladio and she had been doing this for a couple of weeks now, taking turns to make sure their father was taking proper care of herself. Her older brother had been busy today, training with Noctis. She already had plans to go and visit once she was done here, but from the looks of it, it might take a while.

Something had happened, she could just tell. Her father was not in his office like he usually was at this time. He knew to wait for one of his children, eating before pouring back over his paperwork until the end of the day when he came home. There shouldn't be any reason less than an emergency for him not to be waiting for her.

"Excuse me?" she asked the soldier at the door as she tapped her foot, starting to feel a little anxious. "Do you happen to know when he'll be back?"

"I'm not sure, Lady Amiticia," he said, shaking his head a little. "There's a meeting happening in the throne room. I believe the king is receiving reports."

"For this long?" she asked. "I've been here for half an hour now. He always takes a break to eat."

"I couldn't say," he replied.

The report of her father's whereabouts only worried her further. Despite being the right hand to the king, Clarus Amiticia did not like to make his children worry about his health. Both brother and sister took plenty of time reminding him about how important it was to take proper care of himself by getting enough time to sleep and maintain a proper diet. He would not blow her off if this wasn't important. Had something happened on the battlefield? Had there been another forced retreat?

If he wasn't back now, he would probably take hours. There was no way she'd be allowed in the throne room. Even a daughter of a noble house, she had no reason or right to enter such a place. Besides the room holding the Crystal, it was the most heavily guarded. She'd never be granted entry just to drop off a bento.

She did have the option of just dropping off the box in his office, put away safe on his desk for when he could get to it and leaving. Waiting around would do nothing. She'd leave it, take a turn right out of the citadel and get home before the trains stopped running.

Something stopped her though, an odd feeling in her gut. All of a sudden she wanted to see her father, to know everything was alright, and if it wasn't then try to find a way to help him, even if it was just some emotional support when he was finally out of the throne room. She turned her heel sharply and made her way to the left hallway, further into the Citadel.

It is said by some that everything in the world is predetermined, that the will of the Astrals could not be denied by anyone. Their wisdom guided the human race and everything was by design by beings who saw everything that had happened and would happen. There was no point in trying to fight the destiny, to instead follow the plan that the gods had for you, and even unwittingly every moment and movement of your life was planned out and accounted for. It was a hopeful view for some and a pessimistic look for others.

Iris herself didn't really have an opinion on it. She didn't consider herself the most religious person, praying before meals because it was polite but otherwise giving little thought to whatever plan any god might have for her. She was too concerned with other things on a teenage girl's mind, her studies, her family, a cute guy she knew and her martial arts training.

Even if she had been told that very second she was supposed to turn right instead of left, it never would have even occurred to her why such a little detail might be so important.

#-#

If Insomnia filled Ardyn with mixed feelings, it was nothing compared to the Citadel itself. It was not the castle of his brother. That building had probably been long since reworked in the centuries since Somnus had created his fortress that he dealt judgment out from on the masses for the perceived sin of being infected with the Starscourge. Had it fallen to dust from time or was it now some historical sight somewhere within the city. The last time he'd been here he had been too bent on revenge to even think to go looking. Perhaps during the ruse of the peace treaty he could find time to seek it out.

The skyscraper itself was polished and clean, modern unlike the walls that had housed them before. Comfort instead of history, but he was sure a mounted defense was inside all the same, every bit as deadly as his dear old beloved brother. He found himself sighing, feeling nostalgic despite himself. It would have no satisfaction for him to burn down a building he had no memories of or attachment to. Oh well, he supposed it would have to do.

The two Crownsguard soldiers stopped walking as he paused to look around and eyed him with suspicion, but he only smiled brightly at them. His act of an innocent and even somewhat bumbling politician fooled no one, and he knew it, but it was a fun role to play nonetheless. In the long years he'd been alive, finding ways to entertain himself was imperative after all, and he enjoyed the looks of distrust and fear he received as he acted quite unconvincingly trustworthy. Despite the people around him always having their guard up due to his demeanor, he could always play them like fiddles anyway. Years of practice yielded good results.

"Truly a marvelous palace," he said to the two men. "Surely nothing more fine could have been built in its place. This city is, above all, a marvel to behold."

"Just keep moving, Chancellor," one of them snarled. "You're lucky the king is willing to see you at all."

"Infinitely lucky," Ardyn agreed, even as he fancied the idea of what kind of demon the two soldiers would make. As puny as they were, probably nothing more than imps. It took strong people to make strong demons and these two hardly even qualified. "We mustn't keep the long Line of Kings waiting after all."

"Excuse me! Can you wait a moment?!"

The sudden call halted the group before they could start they way to the throne room again. A lone figure was jogging up to them, a young teen girl waving an arm at them. She had a couple things balanced in her other hand, a few items wrapped in cloth. She stopped so suddenly the one right on top went flying as she gasped in shock. He didn't even think before his hand shot out to grab it, the silk feel of a pink handkerchief brushing against the skin at his hand. He looked down at it, studying it for a moment, looking at the small design of a white white stitched into it.

Was that a moogle? He hadn't seen one of those since before he'd been imprisoned. He'd been a little distressed to learn in Verstael Besithia's lab they'd gone extinct so long ago during the years that had passed to the point they were now considered a myth.

"I'm sorry about that. Thank you for catching it," she said with a small bow of her head. Ardyn's eyes caught hers when she looked back up at him and a strike of something all together unfamiliar in his now dead heart sparked inside of him for a moment.

He had to close his eyes for a moment and focus himself. His memories sometimes liked to play tricks on him, forcing him to see the faces of people from his past. For a moment, he could have sworn he saw Aera in front of him, a cruel trick of his mind. However when he opened his eyes again to look, the feeling did not pass. It wasn't like when he saw Somnus, his face plastered on the reality of whoever was really standing in front of him. This girl looked similar enough to cause him to pause but still with enough differences to know he was not having a moment of madness.

The same thin lips in a soft smile, the same small and pointed nose, big round eyes and small stature, but that was about it. The color of hair and eyes were all off, a brown when his love had possessed looks of one being kissed by the sun with her blonde hair and clear blue eyes that resembled the sky. It was a passing resemblance, nothing more. No doubt brought on because of all the emotions of being back in this place.

"Here you are, my dear," he said as he held the parcel out for her. She took it and unwrapped it, pouting in a way he told himself looked nothing like his former fiance as she looked at the contents. They were rice balls but catching them had effectively squished them down to broken chunks. "My apologies. I'm afraid I've got a strong grip."

The guards made a motion for him to move forward but he ignored them as he took a step towards the girl. He felt curious despite himself and he was in no real rush. King Regis could wait on him. It wasn't like he had much of a choice on the matter.

"It's okay. I make them a little loose anyway. My dad likes it like that," she said before blushing. "Oh right! I totally forgot. Are you three heading to the throne room?"

"We are," Ardyn stated before either men escorting him could reply. "Are you a friend of the king, young lady?"

"Not especially. I mean… I've met him plenty of times and he's nice, but I wouldn't say were friends. I know Noctis really well though," she said with a smile.

Oh, an acquaintance of the Chosen King. He had to admit his interest was truly piqued now.

"So what could I do for such an esteemed friend to royalty?" he asked her.

"Well, I wanted to ask the Crownsguard," she replied. "I brought my father his lunch, but I was told he's inside. Could you bring this to him? Well… I guess just the bento. The rice balls can't be eaten like this."

"Lady Amiticia, we're very busy with this escort," one replied as he put his hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back. "We need to go."

"Oh," she said in a tone that clearly showed her disappointment. "Alright. I'll just wait outside until he's done then. Thank you anyway."

She turned to Ardyn and bowed her head a bit.

"Have a good day, Mister… uh… Sorry, I didn't catch your name," she stated.

"Perhaps if I see you in the halls again I will tell you," he assured her. "If all goes to plan I might just be here in this city for a while. Have a good day, miss."

The group left her behind and the chancellor put it out of mind for now. He didn't have time to really ponder over a young girl who seemed to share a few features of a woman from his past. He spent so much of his time dwelling over his old life, what mockery the gods had made of it that it sometimes consumed him. His plans would come to fruition soon enough. Hopefully this time Bahamut would not step in to see his revenge constructed properly.

He walked proudly to the door of the throne room, strolling inside as if he were a man walking through a meadow without a care in the world.

"Hello!" he said politely, drinking in the looks of shock of the politicians all sitting around the king. He could see they'd not been informed of just who had come. It only made the moment all the sweeter. "Hello! Good day to you, and you. Well met, my dear Lucians."

"Has Niflheim grown so bold they send the chancellor himself as envoy, and with no guard at that?" the king on the throne asked.

"It is an honor to be recognized by the great King Regis," Ardyn said, even as he snickered to himself that the senile king couldn't recognize him as the monster Adagium that he'd once gone to battle with, disguised by magic Regis could not penetrate nor see past. "Yes permit me to stand on ceremony and introduce myself nonetheless. Ardyn Izunia, chancellor of Niflheim, at your humble service."

He brought off his hat and bowed a bit. It was a performance he wanted to put his all into. This would go down in the record books and it was only fitting he do a thoroughly good job.

"I come to you on this most auspicious of days to offer terms of peace."

"Peace?" Regis asked, doubt laced in that once word so heavily it could be dripping off of it.

"As you no doubt surmised, that recent maneuver of ours was no strategic retreat. Call it… a gesture of Imperial good will," he stated, letting the words sink in. Most of his job was letting the meaning between his words sink in, and from the looks on everyone's faces, it was working perfectly. They understood his true meaning. The battle could have gone the way of the Imperials if they'd wanted to continue the fight. They would have won. The only reason anyone serving the crown city had survived is because the army had chosen to leave before striking a decisive victory. His side was the one carrying all the power here, and everyone here knew it. "Like you, we want nothing else but to put an end to this senseless war."

"Is that so?" the king asked.

"It is indeed," he assured happily, "and we require but a singular compliance. Save your grand Imsonia here, Lucis must forfeit all territories to Niflheim rule."

There was a snort among a few of them but the king held up his hand to silence them. It was clear at this point Ardyn had his full attention, and he decided to finish with a flourish.

"Oh, Insomnia, the jewel in the crown of the Lucian kingdom. Oh, but how foolish of me to forget. There is just one more trivial thing. It concerns your son," he continued as he watched uncertainty flash over the king's face, but he continued on as if he'd seen nothing. "The fetching Prince Notic of Lucis and the fair Princess Lunafreya of Tenebrae are to be wed."

The uncertainty turned worse, a sour look on the old man's face. Ardyn couldn't resist the urge to push the sharp words even deeper into the man's chest, knowing the guilt that was filling him over the lost territory and failed alliance that had come from the king's choices over a decade ago.

"You seem vexed, Your Highness," he noted with a tone of concern he didn't feel in the slightest. "I can assure you the princess still holds you in the highest regards, as she has in all these twelve long years."

For a moment there was only silence before the king sank into his chair and stared at the chancellor. He finally nodded his head solemnly.

"I will consider these words, and your proposal for this peace," he said. "This will take some deliberation."

"Of course, of course. It would be unseemly for a regal king such as yourself to rush into such matters so quickly. Until then, we will have a strict ceasefire. No harm will come to your lands or citizens by Imperial hands, let me assure you. Take all the time you need to weigh our offer. We will do nothing to rush you," he promised. "With that, I will take my leave until you have come to your decision."

He was escorted out not long after. The decision was already made, he knew, but it would take some time for them to admit it. They had little choice in the matter. Too many retreats to protect the city, too many cities and territories abandoned, defenses scaled back. There were no allies to fall back on anymore, no one to call for aid. The city was still standing strong but it would only last so much longer. The siege would fail them eventually. They would grab this chance for peace in a vain hope.

Until then, it was time to wait.

Soon enough, Regis and everyone loyal to him would be punished.

"In the names of the gods above… fulfill your calling, Ardyn, and punish me for my sins!"

The words echoed in his head so strongly he took a step back, crashing against the closed doors behind him as he gripped at his head. No! Not now! He was doing what was asked of him! He was following the plans of the accursed gods! What did they want now to punish him with such memories of Aera in so much pain.

"Are you alright?" a panicked voice asked of him as he stumbled down to one knee. He had to take a moment to breathe, to find his focus and make it stop. It had been a long time since something so strong had hit him. His visions were never pleasant, often waking nightmares, but they only struck like this when he strayed from his path. His obedience to his fate often kept them at bay, so why was one hitting him now.

He looked up, for a moment a flash of golden hair and fair skin in his vision, only to see the girl from before just a moment latter. Nothing more than an after image or was it more? Astrals were fickle and sometimes sent him messages in strange ways. He was not sure this time what it could be, divine or only his own mind torturing him.

"Do you need help? Should I call the guards? I'm sorry, I don't have a potion or anything on me. I could-"

"I'm alright," he said as he help up his hand to silence her. The worry in his voice was distressing, too much like the tone of Aera as she begged him to kill her. He needed to chase the memory away with a clear head and the distraction would not help. "No, I do not need anything. I've just been traveling a long time. Fatigue simply caught up with me for a moment."

He went to push himself up to stand before her hand caught his own to help him. Despite himself he could not help but notice how warm it was. Her skin was soft and smooth, but not everywhere. He could feel callouses on the tips of her fingers and palms, her knuckles a little rougher than would be expected of a lady in the home of the royals. It had the signs of a warrior, though of what style he could not tell with so little detail.

"If your tired you should rest," she said to him. Her eyes were clear and kind, not the usual distrust and fear that often met his gaze. Even in the Imperial lands with his so called allies he rarely saw such a thing. There were often whispers about him, his abilities and the fact he never aged. Few looked at him without unease and those who did often had hunger and ambition in the expression instead. "There's a few chairs and benches nearby. Why don't you sit down with me while I wait for my father? You look like you need a couple minutes anyway."

He looked down at the girl, tiny almost. She was a good foot shorter than he was and in the years that had not yet reached womanhood. It was kindness from a child, nothing more, but it had been a long time since he had experienced such simple things. He supposed it couldn't hurt. For now his job was done and all he could do was await the next stage.

"Rest might do me good," he admitted. "Thank you."

"Of course. It's no problem at all," she assured him as she led the way, still holding his hand as if he could get lost here. "My name is Iris, by the way. Iris Amiticia. What's yours?"

"Ardyn," he found himself replying as the name stuck in his memory. That family name was important, but as jumbled as his mind was, he couldn't place it at that moment. It would come to him, he was sure. "Ardyn Izunia. A pleasure."

End of Chapter 1

Well, what did you guys think? Again, I know this is a rare pair, but as you can see I am trying to write it decently. Don't worry, there isn't going to be any weird feelings about Iris in this stage. Ardyn is fully aware she's a child. This is a slow burn for a reason. At the moment she's just a curiosity. Main romances for now are going to be among the main cast of Noctis and Prompto along with some other couples. I do not want this to get in any way unsettling, well unsettling in that way. Ardyn himself is unsettling in a lot of ways, but even he wouldn't go creeping on a fifteen-year-old.


End file.
